Thermostat system with location data

ABSTRACT

A thermostat system includes a temperature sensor, an LCD for selectively displaying an alphanumeric message and a processor having a memory for storing program and data information. In one embodiment, the data includes a table storing key terms on a predetermined subject. A communications interface connects the processor and a remote correspondent which is a source of current information. Periodically, communications is established with the remote correspondent to read the current information and parse the current information against the stored key terms. If a match is found, the current information is further searched for a value associated with the matched key term in order to display an alphanumeric message which shows a first message component representative of the connotation of the matched key term and a second message component representative of the associated value. In a variant embodiment, the remote correspondent provides a service periodically sending predetermined information for display on the LCD. In another variant embodiment, the thermostat system can use current information received from the first remote correspondent to send directive information to suitably change the temperature (or other parameter) set point at a second remote site.

This application is a continuation in part of Regular Utility patentSer. No. 10/075,886, filed Feb. 13, 2002 now U.S. Pat. No. 6,619,555.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to the art of thermostats and, more particularly,to a thermostat system incorporating a communication interface forreceiving and displaying diverse information from a remotecorrespondent. In an extended version, this invention relates to athermostat system for receiving and displaying information from a firstremote correspondent and selectively issuing an information/directivemessage to a second remote correspondent.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Thermostats have been used for many years as a temperature sensitiveswitch which controls heating and/or cooling equipment for conditioninga space in which the thermostat, or a temperature sensor connected tothe thermostat, is placed. In the well known manner, a simple thermostatcan be adjusted to establish a temperature set point such that, when thetemperature in the conditioned space reaches the set point, thethermostat interacts with the heating and/or/cooling equipment to takesuitable action to heat or cool the conditioned space as may beappropriate for the season.

Modern thermostat systems, which take advantage of the ongoing rapidadvances in electronic technology and circuit integration, have manyfeatures which provide more precise supervision of the heating and/orcooling equipment to achieve more economical and more comfortablemanagement of the temperature of a conditioned space. Many modernthermostat systems include a real time clock, a memory and a dataprocessor to run a process control program stored in the memory toaccurately measure the temperature of a temperature sensor disposed inthe conditioned space and to send control signals to the heating and/orcooling equipment to closely control the temperature of the conditionedspace. Modern thermostat systems permit anticipating and minimizinghysterisis or overshoot of the temperature in the conditioned space. Inaddition, the program can specify different set points at differenttimes of the day and week and may also include a “vacation” mode whichemploys different set points when the conditioned space is not occupiedfor an extended period.

Many modern thermostat systems are programmable by a user. Typically,prior art programmable thermostat system employ a tactile touch pad withvarious fixed position buttons to be touched in a precise sequence toprogram set points (which may vary with the day of the week) forprogrammable time periods which may include a vacation mode. Theprogramming sequence may be followed on a separate display, typically aliquid crystal display.

Other types of modern thermostat systems may limit, or even make noprovision for, user programming. For example, thermostats distributedthroughout a large commercial establishment may be programmable only byauthorized persons employing special tools or may even have theirprograms permanently set at the time of manufacturer or installation.These non-programmable thermostat systems do not have a user accessibletouch pad (or have no touch pad at all), but may incorporate a userreadable display.

The present invention finds use in both programmable andnon-programmable thermostat systems which operate under control of aprocessor.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A thermostat system according to the invention includes: a temperaturesensor for providing an electrical signal indicative of the temperatureof a conditioned space in which the temperature sensor is situated; aliquid crystal display (LCD) for selectively displaying an alphanumericmessage; and a processor having: a CPU, real time clock and a memory forstoring program and data information. In one embodiment, the dataincludes a table storing key terms on a predetermined subject (e.g.,current and predicted weather conditions in a given locale). Acommunications interface is adapted to establish bi-directionalcommunications (via the Internet or some other suitable facility)between the processor and a remote correspondent which is a source ofcurrent information on the predetermined subject. Periodically, or ondemand if provided for, a program stored in the memory causes the CPU toselectively: establish communications with the remote correspondent,read the current information and parse the current information againstthe stored key terms. If a match is found, the current information isfurther searched for at least one value associated with the matched keyterm; and if at least one such value is found, an alphanumeric messageis displayed on the LCD to show a first message component representativeof the connotation of the matched key term and a second messagecomponent representative of the associated value.

In a variant embodiment, the remote correspondent provides a servicesending, periodically or on demand, predetermined information fordisplay on the LCD. In this variant, there is no parsing against locallystored key terms. In another variant embodiment, the thermostat systemcan use current weather information received from the first remotecorrespondent to determine and act if the received information is suchthat a second remote correspondent interfacing with a remotelycontrollable thermostat system should be contacted, and send directiveinformation to suitably change the temperature (or other parameter) setpoint at the second remote site.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

The subject matter of the invention is particularly pointed out anddistinctly claimed in the concluding portion of the specification. Theinvention, however, both as to organization and method of operation, maybest be understood by reference to the following description taken inconjunction with the subjoined claims and the accompanying drawing ofwhich:

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a first embodiment of a space conditioningsystem incorporating a thermostat system employing the presentinvention;

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a second embodiment of a space conditioningsystem incorporating a thermostat system employing the presentinvention;

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of a third embodiment of a space conditioningsystem incorporating a thermostat system employing the presentinvention;

FIG. 4 is a block diagram of a first embodiment of a space conditioningsystem incorporating a thermostat system employing the presentinvention;

FIG. 5 is a high level process flow chart describing the operation ofthe invention in a first embodiment;

FIG. 6 is a pictorial of an exemplary display illustrating informationpresented to a user by the use of the invention; and

FIG. 7 is a high level flow chart describing the operation of theinvention in a second embodiment.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT(S)

Referring first to FIG. 1, a thermostat system includes a processor 1and a temperature sensor 5 which is disposed in a conditioned space 4.The processor 1 and the sensor 5 may be situated in a common housing(not shown) or separated, all as very well known in the art. The commonhousing is usually, but not necessarily, placed in the conditioned space4. Thus, those skilled in the art will understand that the block diagramof FIG. 1 is very general in order to best explain the invention.

The processor 1 includes a central processing unit (CPU) 9 incommunication with a memory 8 which stores data and program informationand also, via an input/output unit (I/O unit) 10, an optional touch pad11 and a liquid crystal display (LCD) 12. The liquid crystal display mayoptionally be backlit by any suitable means (not shown). The memory 8may include a read-only part which is factory-programmed and arandom-access part which stores data subject to change during operation.A settable real time clock 13 is used to keep time in the thermostatsystem to facilitate diverse operations, such as different temperatureset points (desired temperatures), during different periods of the daycycle. The thermostat system may be suitably powered by a battery (notshown) and/or from equipment to which is connected. The I/O unitincludes a communications interface 14 for coordinating communicationsbetween the CPU 9 and a remote correspondent 15. The communicationsinterface 14 may be, for example, a conventional serial port.

Thus, in the usual manner during normal operation, the temperaturesensor 5 sends an electrical signal (e.g., if the sensor 5 is a simplethermistor, a resistance value; several types of temperature sensors arewidely used) representative of the temperature within the conditionedspace 4 which the processor can compare against a previously entered setpoint to determine if control signals need to be sent to the spaceconditioning equipment 3. For example, if the temperature in theconditioned space 4 is found to be too low when operation is in theheating mode, the processor 1 signals the space conditioning equipment 3circulate, through ducts 6, 7, air from/to the conditioned space 4 whichis heated by the space conditioning equipment before return to theconditioned space. This heating phase continues until the sensor 5indicates that the space is now too hot (or approaching too hot) withreference to the set point such that the processor 1 sends signal(s) tothe space conditioning equipment 3 to cease the heating function, all asvery well known in the art. In a cooling mode, a counterpart procedureis followed. Those skilled in the art will understand that the controlprocess typically includes such refinements as anticipation, hysterisisaccommodation, fan control, etc. which are acknowledged, but are notdirectly relevant to the invention.

It may be noted that integrated circuit chips including all theprocessor components with all the necessary interface conditioningcircuits are available off-the-shelf and are under constant refinementfor increased power. The subject invention only requires thecapabilities of such a processor, and off-the-shelf integrated circuitprocessor chips may be used to advantage in the subject thermostatsystem.

Consider now a first embodiment of the invention. Referring to FIG. 5 aswell as FIG. 1, there is stored in the memory 8 (typically, in ASCIIformat) a series of key terms pertaining to a subject of interest suchas the local weather. Exemplary key terms for this subject may be“temperature”, “relative humidity”, “high”, “low”, “barometricpressure”, etc. The key terms may be stored in the memory during themanufacturing process of the thermostat system or, as will be describedbelow, by user entry using the touchpad 11 and LCD 12.

At one or more predetermined times of day (and/or on-demand if providedfor in the operating program) which have been previously stored in thememory 8 and established by the clock 13, the CPU 9 starts the processshown in FIG. 5 by issuing signals to the I/O unit 10 to cause thecommunications interface 14 to establish communications, via link 16,with a remote correspondent 15. The remote correspondent 15 has a knowndata communications “address” and, in the example, is a source ofcurrent information, such as local weather. Such local current weatherinformation sources are widely available and are routinely accessed by,for example, using the Internet.

When the current local weather information is transmitted from theremote correspondent 15 via link 16 to the communications interface 14and thence to the CPU 9, the CPU parses the information against the keyterms stored in memory 8 to determine if there is a match. This iseasily achieved because the source code (e.g., HTML if the communicationis via the Internet) of the information will typically also be in ASCIIformat. If the CPU 9 senses a match, the just-received information issearched for the presence of at least one “value” associated with thematched key term. If such a value is found and under control of the CPU9, a first alphanumeric message component representative of theconnotation of the matched key term and a second alphanumeric messagecomponent representative of the value associated with the key term aredisplayed on the LCD 12.

If no value for the present matched term is found, but more key terms inthe present set are yet to be compared to information just received fromthe remote correspondent 15, the same process is repeated until all thekey terms in the present set have been parsed and alphanumeric messages,if generated, have been sent to the LCD 12. The immediate session thenends.

As an example, assume that Montreal weather is of interest to anoccupant of a conditioned space in the Montreal area which uses thesubject thermostat system and that “temperature”, “high” and “low” arethe key terms for the subject of local weather stored in the memory 8.Periodically, as determined by times stored in the memory 8, the CPU 9issues signals to access the remote correspondent 15 (a site providinglocal Montreal weather in the example) and download the current weatherinformation as a data stream. If the CPU finds, by examining andprocessing the data stream, that the term “temperature” has beenreceived, it looks for the next characters in the data stream which canbe a value associated with “temperature”; e.g., it may quickly find“+18° C.”. With this coupling established, the CPU may access the memory8 to read the prestored alphanumeric message component “Current MontrealTemperature:” and then concatenate, as a second alphanumeric messagecomponent, “18C.” and then send the complete message to the LCD 12 whichdisplays: “CURRENT MONTREAL TEMPERATURE: 18° C.”.

In a similar manner, if the key term “high” and an associated value aresensed, the exemplary message “MONTREAL HIGH TODAY: 26C.” may bedisplayed; and if the key term “low” and an associated value are sensed,the exemplary message “MONTREAL LOW TODAY: 9C.” may be displayed.

While an obvious application for using the invention is acquiring anddisplaying current weather information, other types of currentinformation may be obtained and displayed in a like manner. For example,current stock quotations for stock indexes and individual stocks, mutualfunds and the like can be automatically acquired, displayed andperiodically updated by suitably programming the processor 1 with theaddress of a site which maintains such information current along withthe desired key terms which may, in this example, be NYSE, etc. stocksymbols. Thus, the “value” term would be the current stock quote. As anexample, if the key term “FMAGX” is matched and an associated value of102.75 is also found, the alphanumeric message “CURRENT QUOTE FORMAGELLAN: 102.75” is generated and displayed. To closely track one ormore stocks or funds, the remote correspondent can be accessed as oftenas desired to “refresh” the alphanumeric message showing the currentquote. A wide variety of types of information may be programmed,accessed and displayed in a like manner.

It will be understood that the processor 1 can communicate successivelyor at different times with different remote correspondents. Thus,referring to FIG. 6, the current local weather information and theselected stock market information can be serially received and processedfor display together in a manner which appears to be virtuallysimultaneous to a user. As previously noted, the overall display can beupdated throughout the day at various times, as to each remotecorrespondent accessed, which have previously been entered in the memory8.

If the thermostat system is programmable, the operating programinstalled during manufacture may provide for user entry followingconventional instructions similar to those used in user-programming theclimate control operation of the thermostat system. For example,assuming that the remote correspondent has an Internet address, theaddress may be entered using the touchpad 11 in any suitable manner aspreviously set up by a system programmer during software design. Then,various key terms the user wishes to employ with various remotecorrespondents having various addresses may be entered by a user.

As previously mentioned, the invention is not limited to use inprogrammable thermostat systems or even to thermostat systems in whichcorrespondent addresses and key terms have previously been entered intomemory 8. Still referring to FIG. 1 and also to FIG. 7, in a variantembodiment of the invention, a thermostat system communicates with aremote correspondent 15 which provides a customized service to the userof the thermostat system. In this embodiment of the invention, the useris a subscriber to the customized service in order to receive knowncurrent information on a predetermined schedule. At predetermined times(or on demand), data communications is established between the processor1 and the remote correspondent 15 which, in this case, provides thecustomized service. The current information is downloaded and displayed.The resulting messages shown and periodically updated on the LCD 12 maybe as shown in exemplary FIG. 6 if, for example, Montreal currenttemperature, daily high and low temperatures and the current quote forMagellan is what the user has subscribed to receive.

When the service is set up, the user and the business which provides theservice via the remote correspondent 15 agree as to what currentinformation (typically more than in the example) will be supplied on anagreed schedule. Depending upon the server-client relationship, eitherthe processor 1 or the remote correspondent 15 may institute the currentinformation transfer at the predetermined times or on demand.

While the Internet is not the only facility which the subject thermostatsystem may use to communicate with a remote correspondent, it is, at thestate-of-the-art the most readily widely available and easilyaccessible. Thus, FIG. 2 show a typical coupling in which thecommunications interface 14 sends/receives serial data to/from anexternal (to the thermostat system) modem 20 via serial link 16. Themodem conventionally interfaces with an Internet Service Provider (ISP)21 which completes the communications link to the remote correspondentin the well-known manner. The modem 20 may be dial-up, cable, DSL or anyother type suitable for the communications environment in a giveninstallation.

At the state-of-the-art and as shown in FIG. 3, a modem 24 forcommunicating with the ISP 21 may be integrated into the communicationsinterface 14 of the input/output unit 14 to eliminate the need for anexternal modem. Thus, when communications is established with the remotecorrespondent 15 according to a schedule or upon demand, the datatransfer takes place via modem 24 and data link 26 as shown.

Attention is now directed to FIG. 4 which illustrates an optionalextension of the subject thermostat system. It will be observed that theISP 21 is not only in communication with the first remote correspondent15, but also with a second remote correspondent 26. The second remotecorrespondent 23 may be another thermostat system (controlling anotherconditioned space (not shown) with other space conditioning equipment(not shown)) which can be remotely controlled. In this embodiment, datareceived from the first remote correspondent 15 as previously describedmay include specific information which can be interpreted by theprocessor 1 to require action at the site of the second remotecorrespondent 23. As an example, assume that the site of the secondremote correspondent 23 is a temporarily unoccupied dwelling and thatweather data received by the subject thermostat system indicates apredicted significantly low temperature predicted for the region of thesite of the second remote correspondent 23. The processor 1 maydetermine, in response to this new weather information supplied by thefirst remote correspondent 15, that the heat should be turned on (or theset point raised) at the site of the second remote correspondent 23 inorder to protect water pipes against freezing, warm the conditionedspace controlled by the second remote correspondent in anticipation ofits upcoming occupation, etc.

Those skilled in the art will appreciate that, in a large facilityincorporating subdivisions in the conditioned space, each conditionedspace having its own thermostat system, each of the thermostat systemsmay independently employ the invention as previously described.

The invention described above includes additional embodiments. In aspecific example of these additional embodiments, a thermostat storesdata that establishes its physical location for interaction with remotedevices located away from that thermostat. Those other devices may beInternet sites transmitting weather data to the thermostat based on thegeographic location of the thermostat. More generally, this embodimentuses location based interactions between an environmental controller(with one or more parts such as transmitter means, a display, datastorage means or control means) and a remote device which responds tolocation data received from the controller.

Control means for an environmental controller, such as a thermostat,include the structure needed to turn HVAC functions on or off or changeoperation thereof, impose control setpoints or other control parameters,turn lighting on or off, sense and respond to environmental gases orsmoke, or other of the several functions which may be accomplishedlocally or wirelessly by present day programmable thermostats and theirdistributed components. Transmitter means for the environmentalcontroller include one or more wireless and/or wired connections to theremote device. In a specific example, transmitter means are a modem withInternet or network connection that receives location data from theenvironmental controller and transmits the location data to a specificaddress on the Internet or in the network.

Remote devices for the present invention include, as described above,Internet or computer network nodes or other similar devices that receivelocation data from the transmitter means. A response in the remotedevice may be as little as simply recording the fact that anenvironmental controller is at a physical location. Another form ofresponse is for the remote device to use the location data in anoperation or algorithm that creates an output stored at the remotedevice or transmitted from it.

In the above specific example, location data of a thermostat istransmitted from transmission means (a modem) through the Internet to awebsite maintained to have access to weather or climate information (theremote device). The weather website (the remote device) receives thelocation data and associates it with local weather data for thethermostat location, which is then transmitted to the thermostat throughthe modem (a response of the remote device). The thermostat uses thelocal weather data for display, stores it in storage means, and/or usesit within control means (a response by the environmental controller).The word “local” with reference to weather data is relative to a desiredgeographic range and/or time into the future.

The present embodiments of location data are for physical location of anenvironmental controller, not a specific network address such as an IPaddress which does not have geographical relevance. Presently, a priorart thermostat may already have stored in it for its network use aunique IP address that identifies the thermostat for control via inputsfrom the Internet. Location data, unless correlated with that IP addressto create a code system, is different from the IP address.

This location data in one form can be as simple as a telephone number orportion thereof, a zip or postal code, longitude and latitudeinformation or other systems or codes that correspond to locationinformation. If location data is a telephone number, which would beeasily input into the environmental controller with even a simple userinterface, that telephone number can be “looked up” by a server andcorrelated to a geographical address. In a preferred form of thelocation data, a first environmental controller will have location datadistinguishing it from all other environmental controllers. The way todistinguish between environmental controllers may be with specificcodes, such as IP addresses, combined with physical location data whichwould be used for more than one environmental controller. In, this way,even nearby thermostats can have unique means of receiving geographicalinformation pertaining to its climatic location.

To date, the prior art contains no environmental controllers that havegeographical information, such as location data in the form of a zipcode or telephone number, stored in them. Location data may take severalforms as it is originally input into and through a local environmentalcontroller, output to transmitter means, delivered to and processed by aremote device, and retransmitted by that remote device to theenvironmental controller or other remote device. Whatever its form,location data correlates in some way to the physical and geographiclocation of the environmental controller. For example, transmitter meansmay link the environmental controller to an intervening remote serverwhich has stored in it a correlation between the specific IP address orother specific identifier and the physical location of thatenvironmental controller. In that case, a specific IP address orspecific identifier is the functional equivalent of location data and isincluded in its definition herein. The invention provides forintervening transmission and/or conversion of forms of location data ofthe environmental controller until the location data reaches a desiredremote device.

As contrasted to the form of the location data, the present embodimentsinclude several ways to make use of location data in a response by aremote device or remote correspondent. For example, it is well knownthat Internet web sites make certain information and/or algorithmsavailable for use by the user linking to that web site, either for freeor at a cost to the user. Automated means are preferred for linking theenvironmental controller to the web site and causing the web site torespond to the location data.

In one such form, an environmental controller links to a web site andtransmits location data and an access code. The access code isappropriately received by the web site and identifies the user as oneauthorized to have transmitted to it information or algorithm resultsfrom the web site. The access code may be structured so that locationdata is a substantial part of that access code, i.e., the access code isthe phone number of the physical location of the environmentalcontroller. The access code may be evaluated by the server for the website to determine if a previously approved access code is still valid,i.e., whether the user has paid their last bill for access to the website. In a specific example of this type of response, a user of theinvention environmental controller pays the operator of a web site withweather data for a period of access. The user is either issued an accesscode by the web site operator to be input into the environmentalcontroller or the access code is some code specific to the environmentalcontroller, such as the location code, and is accepted by the web siteoperator. An access code may include credit card numbers for instantacceptance and debiting at linking to the web site.

While the principles of the invention have now been made clear in anillustrative embodiment, there will be immediately obvious to thoseskilled in the art many modifications of structure, arrangements,proportions, the elements, materials, and components, used in thepractice of the invention which are particularly adapted for specificenvironments and operating requirements without departing from thoseprinciples.

What is claimed is:
 1. A location response system with an environmentalcontroller located at a single physical location adapted to be anintegral part of a system of environmental sensing or control for alocal and substantially enclosed space comprising: A) a physicallocation of the environmental controller stored as location data instorage means in the controller; B) transmitter means connected to thecontroller adapted to transmit location data to a remote devicephysically remote from the controller, so that a location response isinduced at the remote device; and C) location response is storage of thelocation data at the remote device and correlation of the physicallocation to location response data stored at or available to the remotedevice or created by processing of location data at the remote device,whereafter location response data is transmitted from the remote deviceto the controller.
 2. The system of claim 1 in which said transmittermeans includes a modem and the remote device is a computer networkserver.
 3. The system of claim 1 in which said location data includesone or more of the group consisting of a local telephone number orportion thereof, a local zip or postal code, and local latitude andlongitude of the physical location of the controller or systemscorrelated thereto.
 4. The system of claim 1 in which the controllercomprises control means which acts on a response of location data forthermostatic functions including structure needed to turn HVAC functionson or off or change operation thereof, impose control setpoints or othercontrol parameters, turn lighting on or off, or those functionsaccomplished locally or wirelessly by a system of thermostatic controlamong distributed components.
 5. The system of claim 1 in which thecontroller comprises means for input of location data by a user at thephysical location.
 6. The system of claim 1 in which location responseis storage of the location data at the remote device.
 7. The system ofclaim 1 in which location response is storage of the location data atthe remote device and correlation of the physical location to locationresponse data stored at or available to the remote device or created byprocessing of location data at the remote device.
 8. The system of claim1 in which location response data is stored in the controller storagemeans.
 9. The system of claim 8 in which stored location response datais displayed on a display screen at the controller.
 10. The system ofclaim 8 in which the controller comprises control means for thermostaticfunctions including structure needed to turn HVAC functions on or off orchange operation thereof, impose control setpoints or other controlparameters, turn lighting on or off, sense and respond to environmentalgases or smoke, or those functions accomplished locally or wirelessly bya system of thermostatic control among distributed components, and thestorage means comprise control data for operation of control means andcomparison means for comparison of control data to location responsedata and change of at least some control data in response to thatcomparison.
 11. The system of claim 10 in which control data comprisestemperature control setpoints for thermostatic control of the system andcomparison means comprises means for changing one or more thetemperature control setpoints.
 12. The system of claim 10 in whichcontrol data comprises sunrise or sunset data for the physical locationfor control of local lighting and comparison means comprises means forchanging one or more of the parameters for turning local lighting on oroff.